Rationale and Applicability of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) in psychoeducational contexts.

BACKGROUND In last few years, the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) has become dominant in structural validation of psychological tests. However, the requirement of latent variables only loading on specific target items introduces some constraints on the solutions found, namely a factor solution that links some items only in one specific dimension. The most recent use of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), which allows items to be predominantly related to a factor, with non-zero loadings on other factors, has been identified as the one that best respects the proper functioning of the assessed psychological attributes. METHOD In this study we compared the two approaches to structural validity using the answers of a sample of 2,478 first-year higher education students to a multidimensional questionnaire of academic expectations. RESULTS The results show clear gains in information collected when combining CFA and ESEM. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, some implications are highlighted for research and practice of psychological assessment.